Does Your Child Have Good Hygiene

You may be confused about the rules of good hygiene rules for children, considering many children seem to spend all of their young years picking up all sorts of dirt and fearing bathtubs. Plenty of toddlers love to put all sorts of sticks, dirt, and stones in their mouth, too, especially when your back is turned to them. Is it a crime if you skip a bath night? Does your child really need to wash his hands as often as health practictioners suggest? Will paying less attention to the rules of good hygiene make you a bad mother? After all, a few germs build up resistance, right? You may wonder what habits you're setting your child up for later in life. The good hygiene / bad hygiene debate isn't an easy one to figure out.

Wash Your Hands

One of the most commonly heard phrases in terms of hygiene is “wash your hands”. Hand washing is the most important tip of all, and makes all of the difference in the world in terms of whether your child will get sick. Most infections we get come from touching objects like doorhandles, and then transferring those germs to our hands or mouths. Nobody does that more than kids.

How often have you cringed at your child touching an object, crying out, "Don't touch that! You don't know where it has been!" You are right to say that. Most of the pathogens and infections we get come from touching contaminated objects.

Kids are the most vulnerable to these instances because of their natural curiosity to touch and, unfortunately, taste everything that they see, which can be bad for good hygiene practices.

Make sure that your children wash their hands often. It may seem like a chore, but it is important to develop the habit. Have your children wash their hands after using the toilet, before making food or touching food, after touching animals (such as the family pet) and anytime they are around people who are coughing or sneezing. It is also a good idea to have your kids wash their hands when they come home from school or the playground.

The length of time spent washing the hands is important for children. If you want to promote good hygiene, be careful to instruct your children to work the the soap into a lather and not just wet their hands. Try turning hand washing into a game, if you can. Have your kids sing a song or create a rhyme while they wash so that they'll be finished washing their hands when the song or rhyme ends. Use soap that smells good or try colored soft gel soaps to make the activity more pleasurable.

The Importance of Smell

Body odor is something that rises in importance as children age. It can often be a very embarrassing thing for a pre-teen to have to deal with, when hormones suddenly make body odor a noticeable situation.

Start working on the importance of washing early. Explain to young children that sometimes people sadly make judgments about others based on how they look or how they smell. Make sure your kids know the importance of taking baths or showers and the importance of wearing clothes that smell good. A bad smell can be embarrassing for a child, especially if the child becomes the brunt of teasing at school. It's important to make sure that children go to school or out to play smelling and looking good, even though they might not end up that way.

It is important to keep your child's clothes clean. Make sure that you wash them regularly and have your child learn the habit of putting his or her own clothes in the hamper or in the laundry room. Get kids in the habit of changing out of dirty clothes quickly instead of simply lounging around in them. It's okay to play and get dirty, but it's not okay to stay that way once playtime is over.

Fresh Breath and Clean Teeth

Another aspect in terms of practicing good hygiene is oral health. Your child should know about brushing his or her teeth and should be able to participate in this activity. This is important not only for tooth decay and other problems with the teeth, but also for the problem of having bad breath or teeth that look dirty.

Young children need to learn very early that brushing teeth is important. Toddlers should have a training toothpaste and parents must take over the job of brushing. While this may be a fun thing for toddlers to explore at first, the thrill wears off quickly and resistence is normal. When that moment arrives, try making tooth-brushing fun. Sing a song to your child while he or she brushes. Let them measure the floss. Have different colored toothbrushes and fun toothpaste for kids.

Teach your kids about bad breath and how it happens often first thing in the morning. Instruct them that it is a good idea to brush their teeth before they start their day because too much saliva or “mouth juices” is made while they sleep. Make sure your kids also brush their teeth after they eat, so their teeth will be clean from the food.

It is, of course, also important to book regular dentist appointments with your child. Much of oral hygiene can be taught by a dentist using fun toys and instructional tools.

General Hygiene

Good hygiene often comes down to the basics of being clean as much as possible. Children typically enjoy a warm bath, for the most part, and will spend a good amount of time in the tub if you let them. Bring a book or magazine into the bathroom and read while your child splashes.

Do remind your kids that they do have a job to do in the bathtub and show them how to lather up with the soap properly.

Help your child learn how to clean himself or herself properly after using the toilet. Kids are notirious for the quick-swipe method. Also, try to have your kids use the washroom at home. This will avoid any unfortunate instances with public toilets that may not be very clean. Depending on the age of the child, however, you may have to begin instructing them about using public restrooms and reinforce the importance of hand washing in these places.

It is also important to teach your child how to eat properly. Slowly, as they get older, introduce other pieces of cutlery and plates so that they can get familiar with them. Teach them how to cut their food, how to chew with their mouth closed and how to properly use napkins. Often, bad hygiene/good hygiene can involve the little things eating properly and being polite.

Is Your Hygiene Heinous?

When it comes to your hygiene habits, would those who know you praise your penchant for cleanliness or cry foul over your questionable ways? Good hygiene cannot be underestimated - your health, not to mention reputation, depends on it. Find out where your habits rank on the hygiene meter.